The present invention pertains to drainage apparatus for flat-roofed or low-slope roofed structures, and particularly to kits, systems and/or assemblies used for such purposes.
The advent of flat roof building construction brought with it the problem of standing water. Standing water accelerates the aging process of any roofing construction and promotes early failure. Accordingly, considerable effort has been undertaken to reduce the incidence of standing water in conjunction with xe2x80x9clow-slope roofing.xe2x80x9d For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,145 discloses the use of roofing saddles to assist removal of standing water. As known in the art, a roofing saddle is a flat-bottomed pyramid which has an elongated diamond-shaped bottom and a central peak or vertex on its top surface. Four surfaces of the saddle sloping down from the central vertex allow water to run off the saddle for collection in drains strategically placed about the roofing surface. On large roof expanses, building designers often plan the structural portion of a roof deck as a series of pyramids to provide raised centers with valleys therebetween. A drain pipe can then be installed at the confluence of four valleys. However, as often happens, the valley between two structural pyramids would become a collection point for standing water. Roofing saddles in the valleys are installed to prevent the resulting damage. For many years, such drainage systems have been the preferred method of removing residual water from flat roofs.
Numerous attempts have been made to address the design and installation of a useful roofing saddle. Traditionally, roofing saddles have been prepared onsite by hand from low-cost fiber board, expanded polystyrene plastic foam or remnant construction site materials. This approach is time-consuming and labor intensive. The results are as one would expect using whatever materials are available, with little or no pre-conceived design or notion.
Increasingly, to reduce escalating labor costs, roofing contractors have turned to factory-made, pre-fabricated saddles. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,883 describes a triangular panel unit for construction of a roofing saddle. Each triangular panel comprises hinged sections which can be foldably collapsed one on another for ease of storage and transport. Roofing saddles or portions thereof are formed using one or more sets of the panel units, with four such panels comprising a pyramidal roofing saddle.
However, several problems remain with the pre-fabricated approach. For example, factory-made roofing saddles have not proven more efficient. A long lead time for factory orders (e.g., eight weeks) is often required, but inconsistent with the fast-track building approach employed by many building system managers. As a result, construction delays continue at the price of higher labor costs and related cost over-runs.
Even so, such saddles are not wholly xe2x80x9cpre-fabricatedxe2x80x9d. For instance, with the aforementioned ""883 patent, each panel unit of a roofing saddle must be xe2x80x9cmodifiedxe2x80x9d on site. Modification is defined therein and described on packaging materials as cutting or trimming each panel unit, as necessary to provide four panel units meeting at a pyramidal vertex. Such modification necessarily introduces a margin of error. Discretionary trimming or cutting can result in defective installment. Often times, such panels and/or steps are simply omitted to save time or laborxe2x80x94at the risk of later water damage.
There are a considerable number of problems and deficiencies associated with roofing saddles and related apparatus, as previously constructed and/or prefabricated. There is a demonstrated need for roofing systems and/or assemblies providing good drainage function with easy, problem-free installation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide various roofing assemblies and/or kits which can be used as described herein, thereby overcoming various deficiencies and short-comings of the prior art, including those outlined above. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives, while one or more other aspects can meet certain other objectives. Each objective may not apply equally, in all instances, to every aspect of the present invention. As such, the following objects can be viewed in the alternative with respect to any one aspect of the present invention.
It can be an object of the present invention to provide a roofing kit and/or assembly which can be used without the effort and waste which accompany field fabrication.
It can also be an object of the present invention to provide a roofing system which affords a range of related structural alternatives to accommodate a variety of drain configurations.
It can also be an object of the present invention to provide a roofing assembly, system and/or kit with components configured to optimize manufacturing efficiency and minimize waste through the choice of the geometric relationships between such components.
It can also be an object of the present invention to increase rate of drainage flow through use of a roofing system or assembly which assures a minimum resultant slope.
Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will be apparent in the summary and description of preferred embodiments, and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having knowledge of various roofing saddles, roofing crickets and/or related roofing designs, such objects, features, benefits and advantages will be apparent from the above as taken in conjunction with the accompanying examples, data, figures and all reasonably interferences to be drawn therefrom.
In part, the present invention is a modular drainage system which can have a plurality of roofing component pairs, with an elemental component and a wedge component in each pair. Each such component has a right triangular upper surface and a common edge therebetween, the common edge having a first terminus providing a supplementary angular arrangement between the components and a second terminus providing a complementary angular arrangement between the components. In various preferred embodiments, each component has a uniform thickness dimension; however, in various other embodiments, each component can have a tapered thickness dimension. Whether tapered or of uniform thickness, the component pairs can be used in conjunction with at least one base component aligned thereunder, such base component configured to cooperate with the component pairs to provide adequate roofing drainage.
The modular system of this invention can include two of the aforementioned elemental/wedge component pairs. Alignment of the pairs along a common edge in such a manner can allow for arrangement adjacent to and drainage away from a peripheral roofing parapet. Alternatively, one elemental/wedge component pair can be installed in and provide drainage away from a corner configuration. As mentioned above, one or more base components can be utilized with any number of component pairs to provide a proper slope on the roofing surface.
Other preferred embodiments of this modular invention include a first pyramidal subsystem having four elemental/wedge component pairs. The alignment of each pair one with another provides a first axial edge defined by contiguous elemental components, and a second axial edge defined by contiguous wedge components. Such a modular subsystem can further include a polygonal component configured for alignment with each wedge component along the second axial edge, providing a combined surface superimposable on an elemental component surface. Two pairs of elemental components can also be arranged with each pair aligned to provide a common hypotenuse for each component on the first axial edge. Inclusion of at least one intermediate component between each polygonal component and each elemental component provides a second pyramidal drainage subsystem. As discussed above, the first and second subsystems together with their respective components can be utilized in conjunction with one or more base components to provide a desired slope and resulting drainage.
Alternatively, the modular system can further include: 1) two pairs of wedge components, with each pair aligned to provide a common hypotenuse for the components on the second axial edge; and 2) two pairs of elemental components, with each pair aligned to provide a common hypotenuse for each component on the first axial edge. Inclusion of at least one intermediate component between each wedge component and each elemental componentxe2x80x94with or without one or more base componentsxe2x80x94provides a third pyramidal subsystem.
In part, the present invention is also a roofing kit, including 1) at least one preformed 3-dimensional right triangular elemental component with an upper surface; 2) at least one preformed 3-dimensional wedge component having an upper surface, with each component configured for position adjacent an elemental component to provide a complementary angular arrangement therewith; and 3) at least one preformed 3-dimensional polygonal component having an upper surface configured for position adjacent a wedge component to provide a combined surface superimposable on an elemental surface. Placement and assembly of the components on a roofing surface provides for drainage along the resulting valley lines. In preferred embodiments, each elemental component surface has an acute angle between about 30xc2x0 and about 60xc2x0.
Each kit component can have a uniform thickness dimension. Alternatively, each elemental, wedge and polygonal component can have a tapered thickness dimension, with one edge of each such component having a uniform thickness dimension. The kit of this dimension can further include an intermediate component having a tapered thickness dimension substantially equal to the uniform dimension edge of an element component. Regardless, each component or combination thereof can be used in conjunction with a uniform or tapered base component so as to provide the desired slope and rate of drainage.
The inventive kit can provide a corner drainage surface using a pair of elemental and wedge components positioned complementary one to another. Alternatively, the kit can provide a side roofing surface assembly, using the aforementioned pair of elemental and wedge components together with a second pair positioned adjacent thereto, The kit can further provide four elemental/wedge component pairs, with each pair positioned one to another to provide a supplementary angular arrangement between adjacent pairs. Likewise, as mentioned above, the kit of this invention can also include one or more base components, of uniform or tapered thickness, to provide the requisite slope and drainage.
In part, the present invention is also a pyramidal assembly of roofing components, including 1) an elemental component and wedge component pair, each component having a right triangular upper surface and a common edge therebetween with the common edge terminating to provide supplementary and complementary angular arrangements between components, such that an elemental/wedge component pair provides a pyramidal face; and 2) three additional elemental/component pairs, with each additional pair also providing a corresponding pyramidal face. Accordingly, the assembly has perpendicular first and second axial edges, the first axial edge defined by contiguous elemental components and the second axial edge defined by contiguous wedge components. Without restriction or limitation, preferred assembly embodiments can include adjacent components with unhinged common edges.
As described more fully above, the assembly of this invention can further include a polygonal component configured for alignment with each wedge component along the second axial edge to provide for a combined surface superimposable on the elemental component surface. Likewise, as discussed above, the assembly of this invention can also include two pairs of elemental components, with each pair aligned to provide a common hypotenuse along the first axial edge. Inclusion of at least one intermediate component between each polygonal and each elemental component provides a larger pyramidal assembly.
For more expansive roofing surfaces, the inventive assembly can further include 1) two pairs of wedge components, each aligned to provide a common hypotenuse on the second axial edge; 2) two pairs of elemental components aligned to provide a common hypotenuse on the first axial edge; and 3) at least one intermediate component between each additional wedge and elemental components. Likewise, as discussed above, such an expanded assembly can further include one or more base components, for use alone or in conjunction with tapered roofing insulation or a given structural slope.